"My brother took up the game, and when I saw people play at school I decided to learn the game as well. I started when Wizards released The Dark."

New Player Experiences

"I used to play for ante all the time, but my monogreen deck kept on losing. Gaea's Liege used to be my powerhouse, but since then I realized it's not all that."

Influential People as Novice

"Laurens Huisman taught me a lot of tricks when I first started. Boris Schukink-Kool, a good friend of mine, was much better than I was and taught me much of what I know. I also learned from Freek ten Kate, who was on the Dutch national team two years in a row."

Favorite Formats

"Extended and Rath Cycle draft. I'm still undefeated in Rath Cycle draft and I like Extended a lot because I performed well at PT Chicago."

Favorite Deck

"My favorite deck is green/black Squirrel-Plaguelord. I built it myself and I enjoyed playing it a lot. It also qualified me for the Pro Tour."

Favorite Opponent

"Alan Comer. I had to play Alan for a spot in the top 8 in the last round of Swiss at PT Chicago and it was a very friendly and loose game. I lost it, though, because I made some rather horrible mistakes."

Best Player in the World

"Jon Finkel, because he just wins."

Favorite Cards

"Deranged Hermit and Thawing Glaciers. Both of them are incredible card advantage engines and I've enjoyed playing them a lot."

Favorite Magic Mechanic

"Flanking. Back under Fifth Edition rules people would block my 2/2 flanker with a 1/1 and then try to play Giant Growth. They couldn't, of course, because their blocker was already in the graveyard."

Favorite Moment in Magic History (that doesn't involve you)

"Seeing Mike Long toying around with his Psyduck token in the PT LA top 8. The way he irritated his opponent was very amusing to me."

Favorite Moment in Magic History (that does involve you)

"I played Personal Incarnation in my Counter-post deck for Dutch Nationals 97, and had great fun doing so."

Favorite Place in Magic Travels

"Los Angeles. The Queen Mary has a lot of Magic history attached to it, and I like the venue a lot. I think it's amazing to play on a boat!"

Deck Building Accomplishments

"Two decks that I developed on my own are a Back to Basics blue deck in Extended, and a version of the black/green Squirrel-Plaguelord deck, in Urza Block Constructed."

Greatest Magic Accomplishment

"Finishing 10th at PT Chicago."

Magic Playing

"Usually I play a tournament every week and I'll play online about every day."

Playtesters

"Nobody in particular. I play online against anyone who's interested."

Favorite Historical Magic Development

"I was happy to see Dark Ritual banned in Extended. That opened up the format again, allowing more creativity."

Reputation

"I think most people find me a fast and serious player. However, the Dutch players keep calling me 'random' for the way I act outside of Magic tournaments."

Other Interests

"Well, I really enjoy listening to music, going out and drinking beer. When not doing that or playing Magic, I'm probably asleep."